Kunchacko Boban: ‘Kuttanadan Marpappa’ has no religious leanings and is an out-and-out entertainer

Kunchako Boban will next be seen in Shikari Shambu and Kuttanadan Marpappa which are slated to hit screens in 2018.

Actor Kunchako Boban currently has slew of films under his belt which are in various stages of post-production currently. One of those films is ‘Kuttanadan Marpappa’ in which he will be seen a photographer. Kunchako, speaking to a leading daily, said that as the name may suggest, the film does not have anything religious and is a complete entertainer. “I play a photographer named John Paul in the film. People call him ‘Kuttanadan Marpappa’ as his name resembles that of the Pope. The film has no religious leanings and is an out-and-out entertainer. John runs an ordinary photography studio named Colours. Following an event in his life, he decides to follow the new trend of wedding or event photography and videography. Salim Kumar’s character Peeli Ashan and Dharmajan’s character Motta are his side-kicks,” Kunchako Boban told TOI.

Kunchako is also filing for another film titled ‘Shikkari Shambu’ which is directed by Sugeeth. Speaking about it, Kunchako says, “Elephants raided our shooting locations at night twice, and destroyed the set. The shoot was on in the forest area near Kothamangalam, in Bhootathankettu and Vadattupara. As we are not allowed to be in the region post sun down, we didn’t encounter the elephants ourselves but saw their massive footprints all over the place when we returned in the morning. It rains heavily in Kothamangalam, often called Kerala’s Cherrapunjee. And it gets dark by around 4 pm, every day. One morning, we were shooting a song sequence on a bridge. Everything was normal but towards the afternoon, water started flowing over the bridge! It would be visible in the scene, I guess. I play a character named Peeli aka Philipose in the film.”

Speaking about the IFFI Award winning film ‘Take Off’, Kunchako says that they knew that the content was good and scale new heights. “We knew the content was good and sincerely wished it would soar to heights as the film is a tribute to Rajesh Pillai. Now that it has, it feels really special,” he further added.

Speaking about the films that he up his sleeve for 2018, Kunchako says, “I will start shooting for Ramesh Pisharody’s Panchavarnathatha on January 10. National Award winner Soumya Sadanandan’s film will go on floors in April. There is also a film by director Marthandan, which will be scripted by Vellimoonga’s scribe Joji. It will start off by the middle of next year. I also have a few exciting projects by newbies which will need a lot more effort and time compared to other films. However, they already have the producers and it’s great that we now have producers who are willing to take risks and invest in good films.”

Speaking about the choice of films, Kunchako says “Well, I don’t think I am a budhijeevi (laughs). I enjoy doing relatable characters and their tales the most, and even as a person, I am someone who likes to keep things simple. Be it something as basic as just going out or driving to my location, I don’t need a lot of people with me. I travel by myself, like a normal person. I guess all of it is reflects in my choice of films too.”